Regulator system



F. CO N RAD REGULATOR SYSTEM June 30, 1925. 1,543,696

Filed Sept. 16, 1918 1 WITNESSES: INVENTOR 5d V W v Fran/1 6017mm ATTOR N EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK CONRAD, F PITTS ELECTRIC To all whom Be it known that I, FRANK citizen of the BURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE deMANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01" PENNSYLVANIA.

REGULATOR SYSTEM.

Application filed September 16,

it may concern:

CONRAD, a United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny 5 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Regulator Systems, of which the following is a speciiication.

My inventi systems and on relates to particularly to regulator systems for governing the excitation of generators in accordance with supply-circuit conditions.

()ne object regulator system of myii'ivention is to provide a that shall be quickly responsive to voltage changes in a supply circult and be substantially freefrom the contact troubles which are encountered in many types of regulators.

Another ob ect of my invention 18 -to provide a regulator system ot the above-indicated character that cathode vacuum tube citation of a shall embody a hot for governing the exgenerator 111 accordance with thevoltage obtaining in a supply circuit.

More speci a vacuum tube having a grid anode,

invention embodies hot cathode and a the cathode being connected fically, my

acrossa supply circuit in accordance with voltage conditions circuit and tl connected in obtaining in the supply 1e cathode and the anode being circuit with an exciter generator for governing the excitation of a main enerator. to stant voltage maintain a substantially conm the supply circuit.

In many types of regulators now in service for governing the excitation of a generator to maintain a substantially constant voltage in a relay is prov tion of an exciter generator by supply circuit, a main-contact ided for governing the opera short-circuiting, under predetermined conditions, a resistor which is included in the circuit. of the lay embodies field-winding cxciter. The ma1n-contact re a main-control magnet, which is operated in accordance with the supplycircuit voltage and which is adapted to operate directly the main contacts of the relay.

and a vibrating magnet which is governed by the main -contact magnet to eti'ect the vibration of the main contacts of the relay. The above type of regulator is very satisfactory, but, at times,

tor of the above-indicated type,

are experienc In a regula some contact troubles electric regulator 1918. Serial No. 295220.

which is constructed in accordance with my invention, the main contacts and the vibrating magnets are replaced by a hot-cathode vacuum tube. The hot cathode of the vacuum tube is connected across the supply circuit by means of a main-contact electromagnet which is operated, in the usual manner, in accordance with the voltage obtaining in the supply circuit. The cathode and the anode are connected in circuit with the resistor which is included in the circuit of the exciter-generator iield winding so that the resistor is selectively short-circuited in response to variations in the emission current of said tube to vary the excitation of a main generator in accordance with the voltage obtaining in the supply circuit.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view of a regulator system embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing. afgenerator 1, embodying an armature l and a field magnet winding 3, is connected across a supply circuit embodying conductors 4 and 5. An exciter generator 6, embodying an armature 7 and a lield magnet winding 8, is provided for energizing the main lield magnet windings 3.

The excitation of the exciter generator 6 is. controlled by means of a vacuum-tube regulator .twhich is governed in accordance with the voltage obtaining in the supply conductors-4 and The regulator embodies a hot-cathode vacuum tube 10 having a hot cathode 11 and a grid anode 12. a maincontact electroi'nagnet 13. having an energizing winding 14 coimccted across the supply conductors l and 5, a contact arm 15 which is maintained in a retracted position by means of a spring 16, and a contact member 17, which is adapted to clzage the contact member 18 when the arm 15 is moved to a retracted position by means of a spring 16. The. regulator further embodies a transformer 19, which is connected across the supply conductors 4 and 5, and a resistor 20 which is'connected in series with the. exciter field magnet winding 8. The hot cathode oflthe vacuum tube is connected through the transformer 19 across the supply conductors 4 and 5 by means of the electromagnet 13. The anode of the vacuum tube is connected to one terminal of the resistor 20, and the cathode of the vacuum tube is connected to the other terminal of the resistor 20 through portions of the winding of the transformer 19.

Assuming the system to be in the position illustrated and the voltage in the supply conductors 4; and 5 to bereduced below normal value, then the spring 16 overcomes the action of the winding 14 to move the contact members 17 and 18 into engagement with each other and connect the hot cathode 11 across the supply conductors 4 and The heating of the cathode 11, in accordance with well-known principles, pernnts the tlow of direct current through the vacuum tube and, consequently, the resistor 20 is short-circuitcd. inasmuch as the cathode 11 and the anode 12 of the tube are respectively connected to the terminals of the registor. Accordingly, the excitation of the auxiliary generator 6 is increased to raise the value of the voltage supplied by the main generator 1 to the supply conductors.

In case the voltage of the supply conductors is raised above normal value, the electromagnet 13 is operated to break the circuit of the hot cathode and thus remove the short circuit across the resistor 20 and re duce the excitation of the auxiliary generator 6.

In the system above described, the contact members 17 and 18 are at no time subjected to excessive current or to excessive inductive discharges and, therefore, a regulator of this type is substantially free from the many contact troubles which are usually experienced in regulator systems.

Modifications in the system and arrangement and location of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of my invention, and such modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a regulator system connected to a supply circuit, a resistor, a vacuum tube connected to said resistor having a hot cathode and a grid anode, and a relay operated in accordance with the voltage obtaining in the supply circuit for connecting said cathode across the supply circuit to control said resistor.

52. Tn a regulator system connected to a supply-circuit, a translating device, a hotcathode vacuum tube operatively associated withsaid translating device, and means adapted to short-circuit the translating device, said means comprising a relay for energizing the tube in accordance with the voltage obtaining in the supply circuit.

3. In a regulator system connected to a supply circuit, a vacuum tube having a hot cathode and a grid anode, a transformer connected across the supply circuit, a relay connected across the supply circuit and adapted to connect said cathode in circuit with the transformer, and a translating de vice connected in circuit with the cathode and the anode of the vacuum tube.

4. In a regulator system, the combination with a supply circuit, a generator connected to the supply circuit, an auxiliary generator having an armature and a field winding for exciting the main generator, and a translab ing device connected in circuit with the tield winding of the auxiliary generator, of. a vacuum tube connected in circuit with said translating device and having a hot cathode and a grid anode, and a relay connected across the supply circuit and adapted to connect the cathode of said tube across the supply circuit whercby the vacuum tube, the translating device, and the exciter connected thereto co-operate to maintain a substan tially constant voltage in the supply circuit.

5. The combination with a supply circuit, and a generator connected to the supply circuit, ot' a h0t-cath0de vacuum tube, and means for varying the excitation of said generator to maintain a substantially constant voltage in the supply circuit comprising means for intermittently heating the cathode of said tube.

6. In a regulator system, a generator con nected to a supply circuit, a hot-cathode vacuum tube, means for intermittently heating the cathode of said tube in accordance with an electrical condition obtaining in the supply circuit, and means controlled by said vacuum tube for governing the excitation of said generator to maintain substantially constant a characteristic of the supply circuit.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day of August,

FRANK CONRAD. 

